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Appeared on: Monday, June 04, 2012
Microsoft at E3 2012

Microsoft kicked off this year's E3, showing a slew of upcoming games and Xbox Live services - from Halo 4 gameplay to something called Xbox SmartGlass, which connects your 360/PC/Smartphone/Tablets.

Spearheaded by the return of Master Chief with the "Halo 4," Microsoft showcased a lineup of titles found only on Xbox 360, including "Forza Horizon," "Fable: The Journey" and the world premiere of "Gears of War: Judgment".

In addition, Activision wowed gamers with the first live gameplay demonstration of "Call of Duty: Black Ops II." Making their worldwide debuts on Microsoft's E3 stage, Ubisoft Entertainment's "Tom Clancy's Splinter Cell: Blacklist" and THQ Inc.'s "South Park: The Stick of Truth" were both confirmed to feature Kinect voice-recognition functionality. With the help of Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Joe Montana, EA SPORTS showed off the future of sports videogames with demonstrations of "Madden NFL 2013" and "FIFA 2013" using the power of voice on Kinect. Microsoft further delighted audiences with news that Capcom Entertainment Inc.'s "Resident Evil 6," Square Enix Co. Ltd.'s "Tomb Raider" and THQ's "South Park: The Stick of Truth" will all feature add-on content that will be available first on Xbox 360.

Microsoft also unveiled Xbox SmartGlass. Launching this year, Xbox SmartGlass is an application for Windows 8, Windows Phone, and other portable devices that connects phones, PCs and tablets with your Xbox 360 console.

The software was demonstrated on a smartphone used to browse the Internet on TV and on a tablet to display information about a game playing on TV.

With SmartGlass, users will be able to experience something like a movie on one platform and then send it over to their Xbox 360 to resume the playback. It also offers detailed media information on TV and movies playing on the big screen at home or on the go. Another feature is the ability to use SmartGlass to use a mobile device to communicate with an Xbox 360.

Microsoft also announced it was bringing its Internet Explorer browser to the console. Internet Explorer for Xbox will launch this fall in all countries where Xbox and Xbox LIVE are available. Through the Xbox, Kinect and Xbox SmartGlass, gamers will be able to surf the Internet using their voice on the Xbox 360 and navigate using their mobile devices on the television.

The service is expected to release later in 2012.

Microsoft also said Monday that its voice-recognition ability for its camera-based Kinect system would be available in 12 more countries.

Xbox Music, also coming this fall, will bring the best of popular existing services to one place, letting users purchase music or subscribe to music on the console - and also on any cloud-connected device.

"It's the music service we've always dreamed of building, so it will really be the best of download-to-own or subscription music," sais Yusuf Mehdi, chief marketing officer for Microsoft's Interactive Entertainment Business. "You'll be able to personalize and share with your friends, and best of all, discover new music and integrate it with your Windows 8 PC, tablet and phone."

The company also announced a collaboration with Nike on the "Nike+ Kinect Training", a training software that takes advantage of Nike's expertise on training athletes and kinect for Xbox.

Available exclusively on Kinect for Xbox 360 during the holiday 2012 season, personal trainers within the game will offer users a personalized workout plan to help.